A KPMG partner from South Australia has left the firm after an investigation into a sexual harassment against him found he breached the company's rules.

The revelation about the partner's departure last December has prompted KPMG Australia CEO Gary Wingrove to issue a statement to The Australian Financial Review that effectively warns partners and staff at the firm of his zero-tolorance policy about sexual harassment at the firm.

This is the second time in as many days that the CEO of a big four accounting and consulting firm has been forced to read the riot act to partners and staff at their respective firms over acceptable workplace conduct.

The Financial Review revealed on Wednesday that rival Ernst & Young is conducting an ongoing investigation into the managing partner of its Adelaide office and a female staff member over allegations of inappropriate conduct.

WORKPLACE HEALTH

Deloitte discrimated against employee

Accountants to get dedicated mental health service

Accounting & Consulting

PwC settles workplace bullying claim for $120,000

Complicating the EY investigation is that the senior partner and the woman had previously had a close personal relationship, which was not declared as required by the firm's code of conduct.

Related Quotes

The KPMG and EY cases are an indication of the rapidly shifting workplace standards, which firm managers are now saying will apply to everyone, even the most senior of partners.

KPMG would not reveal the name of the partner but Mr Wingrove encouraged partners and staff to report any inappropriate behaviour.

"I confirm that an incident involving a breach of our Code of Conduct and policies was reported late last year in our South Australian office," Mr Wingrove said.

"KPMG fully investigated and promptly addressed the matter. The individual responsible no longer works for the firm."

"KPMG is committed to providing a safe workplace for our people. We do not tolerate sexual harassment.

"We encourage our people to report any inappropriate conduct and require Partners and employees to comply with our Code of Conduct and our policies."

The message is an echo of one sent out by EY chief executive Tony Johnson who told partners in an email: "I expect an even higher standard of behaviour from our partners, given they are the owners and senior leaders of the firm."

Both firms have gone to great lengths to promote themselves to potential employees and had mult-year pushes to increase the level of women in leadership.

The cases highlight the importance of having a complaints handling process that is seen to be effective and how firms manage personal relationships in the workplace.

The #MeToo movement, sparked by revelations about the behaviour of former film mogul Harvey Weinstein, centered around women from a range of fields to speaking up for the first time about harassment within their workplace.